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8. Entertainment

    Nowadays, theatre, cinema and discotheque are the most popular ways of relaxation and entertainment. Of course, among this ways of entertainment, theatre has the longest history, beginning from ancient Greece and Rome. In my opinion, Moscow and London are the world’s great stages, which offer an extraordinary range of theatrical entertainment.  

     London can offer theatre performances for everyone’s taste and possibilities.

    Of course our city Vladivostok doesn’t stand aside from theatrical life. We have several popular theatres: Gorky drama theatre, Chamber theatre, Pushkin theatre and others. The tickets here are much less expensive than in Moscow: from 50 to 200 rubles. Guest performances are not a rare thing in Vladivostok, though the price for them is higher: from 200 to 600 rubles. 

  I myself am not a great theatre-goer, I most likely a cinema-goer. From the invention of Lumiere brother’s cinema is one of the most favorite ways of entertainment. But with invention of video-tapes and videotape recorders less and less people went to cinema. And it very pleasant to me that after a short period of “home cinema”, when people preferred to stay at home and watch video films, today people more and more frequently go to cinemas. The reason for this maybe that a lot of big cities have modern, comfortable cinemas, where you can watch new Hollywood movies at the same time as America and Europe.

        You can go to large, multi-screen complexes with more than 12 cinema halls and ticket prices starting from 200 rubles. Such complexes are of modern American style with bar with high chairs, pop-corn and cola machines, Dolby surround system.

               In London you’ll be able to hear the best music, ranging from classical jazz and rock to rhythm and blues, while dedicated movie buffs can choose from hundreds of different films each night, both in large, multi-screen complexes and excellent small independent cinemas. Sports fans can watch a game of cricket at Lords, cheer on oarsmen on the Thames or eat strawberries and cream at Wimbledon.

8. Entertainment. Going out (theatre, cinema, disco)

The topic of my story is “Entertainment. Going out (theatre, cinema, disco)”. And first of all I want to tell you about theatre.

The primary activity which we associate with a theatre is a play or a stage-play. But this is by no means the only one: opera, ballet, musicals, variety, circus, puppet shows, mime, recitals and a lot of others cannot be excluded. The 20^th century brought great changes into the theatre. Cinema, radio, television and video altered the course of the major performing arts and created the new ones. But still there are hundreds of theaters, large and small, all over the world, where the audiences are excited at the prospect of seeing a play and the actors are most encouraged by the warm reception.

If one wants to go to a theatre, he or she should book his or her seats beforehand, especially if the play is popular. At the entrance to the theatre  itself an attendant in uniform tears the theatre tickets in half. Another attendant shows a person to his or her  seat and sells a programme that will tell a person which parts the actors are playing and how many acts there are in the play.

In a small theatre you can always be sure to hear and see everything and really feel that you are  with the actors in everything they do and in all the places they visit. But many plays are still produced in very large, old theatres where it’s difficult to see and hear properly if you are on the back rows. There are sometimes so many stalls (ground-floor seats) in these theatres that they are divided into orchestra stalls, centre stalls, and rear stalls, with the pit behind them. Above there is the dress-circle and boxes, then the balcony and, high above, the gallery.

In America the theatre is especially healthy in the hundreds of regional and university groups around the country. But it’s Broadway with its some 40 major professional stages and the numerous of Broadway experimental theatres that bring to mind American playwrights such as O’Neill. There are over 15000 professional actors in NY alone. Theater in the US is seldom state-supported. American feel that each person would  be willing to support and help pay for his or her own favorite cultural activity, whatever it may be. The Metropolitan Opera Association is a good example of its annual budget only 5% comes from governmental sources, whither city, state or federal. The other 95% is made up by individual contributions, ticket sales, and so on. NY is the major, but not only cultural centre in the US.

Great number of various films are released in the US every year. Hollywood released films differ in genre. There are newsreel, cartoon, documentary and a full-length film. Hollywood’s early films are westerns (with their fast action, uncomplicated heroes, and clear-cut conflict between good and evil), horror films (with their mysterious and supernatural happenings, ghosts and monsters), comedies (very often not in good taste and even vulgar), romance films (which shaved life as it could be lived in ours imagination and made the viewer escape from reality into a dream world), and musicals. There are films based on novels and films which deal with historical events. Hollywood. Was justly accused of creating a dream world, but American films of today are realistic and up-to-date. Many of the films raise urgent problems facing contemporary society of criminal behavior and suggests that bad characters are often the result of the circumstances and the environment. And so gangster films are often inspired by the gloomy front page stories. Most American films are made the great professional skill. Camera work, setting and acting are usually excellent. But there are also cheap second-rate films, which critics call stupid, badly written and badly directed.

And now some words about disco. Almost in every city, big or small, there are disco-bars and clubs, where young people go to dance and relax. In many clubs there are tables, where you can sit with your friends and you also can get some food and drinks there. Such clubs are very popular among youngsters.

8. Entertainment. Going out theatre, cinema, disco.

Tgear number of varios films are released in the US every year. Hollywood released films differ in genre. There are newsteel, cartoon, documentary and a full-length film.Hollywood;s early films aere westerns (with their fast action, uncomplicated herous, and clear-cut conflict between good and evil), horror films (with their mysters ous and supernatural happenings, ghosts and monsters), comedies (very often not in good taste and even vulgar), romance films (which shaved life as it could be lived in ours imagination and made the viewer escape from reality into a dream world), and musicals. There are films based on novels and films which deal with historical events. Hol. Was justly accused of creating a dream world, but american films of today are realistic and up-to-date. Many of the films raise urgent problems facing contemporary society of criminal behaviour and suggests that bad characters areoften the result of the circumstances and the environment. And so dangster films are often inspired by the gloomy front page stories. Most american films are made the great professional skill. Camera work, setting and acting are usually excellent. But there are also cheap second-rate films, which critics call stupid, badly written and badly directed. But the theatre in America is especially healthy in the hundreds of regional and university groups around the country. But it’s Broadway with its some 40 major professional stages and the numerous off – Broudway experimental theatres that bring to mind American playwrights such as O’Niell. There are over 15000 professional actors in NY alone. Theater in the US is seldom state-supported. American feel that each person would  be willing to support and help pay for his or her own favourite cultural activity, whatever it may be. The Matropolitan Opera Association is a good example of its annual budget only 5% comes from governmental sources, whther city, state or federal. The other 95% is made up by individual contributions, ticket sales, and so on. NY is the major, but not only cultural centre in the US.

9. Crime and Law Enforcement

     Burglary (= stealing from a house, Theft (= stealing goods or property), Car theft, Criminal damage or vandalism is an increasing problem. Murders and different types of assault (=violent attack) are usually widely reported by the media. Robbery (= taking property from a person by force) and mugging (= attacking someone in the street and stealing their property)

          US.Larceny (= theft) is also common. carjacking: criminals with guns enter cars that have stopped at traffic lights and make the driver leave the car, or drive to a place where there are not many people around. They take the car, and any money or jewellery, but usually leave the driver unharmed.

Britain has 52 regional police forces, which are responsible for maintaining law and order in their own area. London has two police forces. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is based at New Scotland Yard Each regional police force is led by a Chief Constable. Police officers wear dark blue uniforms, and constables wear tall hard helmets.

At national level, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) has about 10,000 special agents who investigate crimes across the US. The members of the US police force who have most contact with the public are uniformed officers, who patrol in cars and are the first to arrive when a crime is reported. More serious crimes are investigated by detectives, who usually wear plain clothes instead of a uniform. In spite of the fact that police officers in the US wear guns, they are seen by many Americans as being honest, helpful people who work hard at a dangerous job.

9. Crime and law enforcement

When someone is arrested for committing an offence, he is taken to the police station for interrogation. If the police decide there is a case against him, he is charged with the offence, that is to say the police formally accuse him of committing it. After this, the accused appears before a magistrate who is empowered to decide what to do about minor cases. If the magistrate finds the accused guilty, he will sentence him to pay a fine, or some other minor punishment.

More serious cases are passed up to the Crown Court, where the accused is tried for the offence by a judge, and usually a jury. Very serious cases are heard in the high courts in London. The accused mayhave to wait a long time to stand trial. At the trial, the accused pleads guilty or not guilty. If he pleads not guilty, the jury, composed of 12 ordinary citizens, has to decide if he is guilty or not. This decision is called their verdict. The lawyers who try to persuade the jury are called barristers. In court, the one on the side of the accused is known as the Counsel for the Defense and the one against him is called the Counsel for the Prosecution. Each barrister calls witnesses to give evidence in support of his case. The witnesses can be cross-examined by the other counsel, who tries to persuade the jury that the evidence is untrue or not important. When all the evidence has been heard, the judge sums up the case and explain legal points for the jury’s benefit. The jury retires to another room, where they try to reach a verdict. If they find the accused guilty as charged, we say hi has been convicted of the offence. The judge then passes sentence. He may sentence the guilty person to pay a fine, to a number of years imprisonment, or to some other punishment. If the verdict is not guilty, we say the accused has been acquitted of the offence, and he goes free. If the accused feels there was something unfair about the trial, he may appeal to the Appeal Courts, where three judge’s decide the case. So why do people commit crime or violence?

The first point that has to be clarified here is the meaning of the world violence. There are, after all, many types of violence in our cities, ranging from baby battering to the suppression of political demonstrations by police. What measures can be taken to combat this kind of violence? Well, to begin with, it is often argued that violent crime should be punished more severely. That is to say, more offenders sent to prison, longer prison sentences, and even the reintroduction of the death penalty. The first two ideas seem reasonable, but ignore the problem that our prisons are already full, and also that ex-prisoners are more likely to commit crime than other people. In addition, it is very expensive to keep people in prison. As for the death penalty, there is no hard evidence that it has any effect on the commission of the crimes. Punishing crime more severely, then, does not seem to work. A more effective measure would be to improve the service provided by the police. More people would say that British policemen should carry guns, but I do not agree, since this would lead to more guns being used by thieves, and consequently more violence, probably involving innocent by-standers. Also, we must remember that not every policeman is psychologically fit to carry a gun. Nevertheless, certain changes can be made. Firstly, the size of the police force could be increased, by improving salaries and conditions. Equally importantly, the police should receive better training, so that they can deal effectively with trouble without becoming unduly violent themselves. The government must ensure that jobs are provided for young people. Until young people have work, money and hope, it will be impossible to walk safely in the streets.

10.Ecology and Environmental problems.

     Ecology is a science which studies the relationship between all forms of life on our planet and the environment. This word came from “oikos” which means home.  The idea of home includes our home planet, its population, nature,,animals,birds,fish,

insets and all other living creatures and even the atmosphere around our planet. Since ancient times nature has served man giving everything he needs: air to breath, food to eat, water to drink, wood to building and fuel for heating his home. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with the environment and it seemed to them the recourses of nature had no end or limit. With the industrial revolution our negative influence on nature began to increase. Large cities with thousands of steaming, polluting plants and factories, can be found nowadays all over the world. The by-products of their activity pollute the air we breathe, the fields where our crops are grown.

     Now millions of chimneys,cars,buses,trucks all over the world exhaust fumes and harmful substances get into the at the atmosphere. Everything there is covered with soot and dirt.

Big cities suffer from smog. Cars with their engine have become the main source of pollution in industries countries. The loss of the forests upsets the oxygen balance of the new wastelands. As the results some species  of animals,birds,fish and plants have disappeared and keep disappearing.   Water pollution is very serious, too. Ugly rivers of dirty water polluted with factory waste, poisoned fish are all-round us. And polluted air and poisoned water lead to the end of the civilization. So, nowadays a lot of lands and lifeless areas have appeared. Because our actions and dealing can turn the land to a dessert.

The groups of people (Greenpeace) with a common interest in trying to draw the public attention to environment problems, to influence the government decisions. They started functioning in 1971(at Amsterdam), they operates in 25 countries worldwide. The aim of Greenpeace is to protect wildlife of toxic wastes, nuclear tests.

10. Environmental problems.

The poisoning of the world's land, air, and water is the fastest-spreading disease of civilization. It's not easy to ignore the depressing pictures that are shown on TV. Every day natural disasters and accidents are shown to the public. Overpopulation, pollution and energy consumption have created such planet-wide problems as massive deforestation, ozone depletion, acid rains and the global warming that is believed to be caused by the greenhouse effect. More and more opinion polls are administered to find out how people feel about their future. The general public really see nuclear waste as the major problem. One of the problems with radioactive waste is that it's effect doesn't just last our generation, we'll pass on this legacy to our children We are still in a situation where the government is still fishing around for radioactive waste sites. Chernobyl shows there is another problem, the danger of meltdowns. We can observe a tremendous outcry over an increase in leukemia risks around nuclear installations. In Europe and the US deforestation was the inevitable consequence of economic progress. Harvesting beyond sustainable limits has brought some of the tropical forests best hardwoods near extinction. Destroying tropical forests can destabilize the world's climate. Air pollution is a very serious problem. Vehicles produce most of toxic micro-particles which do most harm. Toxic gazes appear in the atmosphere in critical concentration of carbon dioxide which is expected to increase at rates that could change the world's climate. The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already nearly dead; the North Sea is following. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas. Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out forever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today will become extinct twenty years from now. Today, fewer that 5000 black rhinos have escaped the onslaught. In many parts of Africa the survivors are being herded behind electrified fences for their own protection. Many people endorse the harsh penalties for poaching but it's difficult to collect money for anti-poaching operation. Industrial enterprises emit tons of harmful substances. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains. To avoid green-house effect we should use renewable energy sources - wind power, wave and tide power. We really need to reduce our energy demand. We need to introduce a lot more conscious efforts to conserve energy, and we also need to introduce cleaner fossil fuel burning.  People are beginning to realize that environmental problems are not somebody else's. Many ecological problems can generally be solved only on the world community level. As nations we all share single ecological space. If we want to climb out of ecological pit we should do our best to protect our environment.

11. Climete and weather.

The British Isles which are surrounded by the ocean have an insular climat. The climate is moister and more equable than that of General Europe. The three things that chiefly determine the climate of England are: 1) the position of the island in the temperate best;2) the fact that the prevalling winds blow from the west and south-west;3) the warm curren the gulf stream that flows from the gulf of Mexicoalong the western shores of England. In common, the climat is mild, and strong frost are rare. Due to the moderating influences of thesea and the gulf stream, the sumaty t is higher and the suly t lower than inany other country in the same latitudes, thta is why the British ports are ice-free and its rivers not frosen throughout th4e year. It’s hard to say that England has typical weather because of the sudden changes that occur-shavers from what was only a few hours before a clear blue sky: sun-shine that makes you want to leave off most of your clother followed by winds that set you wishing for two overcoats. There is an abundance of rainfall in the west. As a result, there are thck fogs which last for days and weeks at a time during the autumn and witer. When winter comes,people are obliged to spend more time indoors because out of door it’s cold. Ponds,lakes, rivers and streams sometimes may be frozen, and the roads may be sometimes covered with slippery ice or deep snow. The trees are bare. Bitter north winds have stripped them of all their leaves. The lack of sunshine hinders the cultivation of mny spicies of plants, especially grain crops. Howere, grasses grow all the year round, providing fodder for cattle.

11. Climate & weather

Weather provides an ever popular topic of conversation with much guessing as to what the weather will be the next day or next week There is always something to say about it.

Weather is the specific condition of the atmosphere at a particular place and time. It is measured in terms of such things as wind, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, cloudiness, and precipitation. In most places, weather can change from hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-season. Climate is the average weather (usually taken over a 30-year time period) for a particular region and time period. Climate is not the same as weather, but rather, it is the average pattern of weather for a particular region. Weather describes the short-term state of the atmosphere. Climatic elements include precipitation, temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind velocity, phenomena such as fog, frost, and hail storms, and other measures of the weather.

The earliest evidence of scientific activity in the field of meteorology, the study of the earth's atmosphere, especially as it relates to weather forecasting, is from the 4th cent. B.C.; Aristotle wrote what is probably the first treatise on the subject. The first attempt to chart weather from reports over a considerable area was made in 1820 in Europe by H. W. Brandes.

The central forecast office in the US is the National Meteorological Center (NMC), in Suitland; first-order stations are located chiefly in the larger cities, and numerous substations for special purposes (e.g., observing river stages, measuring depth of snow, and maintaining records of climate) are distributed throughout the country.

Devices used for meteorological observations include rockets, weather satellites, radiosondes, barometers, anemometers, thermometers, and radar. By means of high-speed telecommunications, information from all over the world is sent to the NMC, where the data is decoded and plotted. These data are used to create weather maps based on simultaneous weather observations at different atmospheric levels over any desired geographic region. On a typical map the various weather elements are shown by figures and symbols; isobars are drawn to show areas of low pressure (cyclones) and high pressure (anticyclones); fronts (boundaries between air masses) and areas of precipitation are indicated.

The major influence governing the climate of a region is its latitude. A broad latitudinal division of the earth's surface into climatic zones based on global winds includes the equatorial zone, or doldrums, characterized by high temperatures with small seasonal and diurnal change and heavy rainfall; the subtropical, including the trade-wind belts and the horse latitudes, a dry region with uniformly mild temperatures and little wind; the intermediate, the region of the prevailing westerlies that, because of several secondary influences, displays wide temperature ranges and marked change ability of weather; and the polar, a region of short summers and long winters, where the ground is generally perpetually frozen. The transitional climate between those of the subtropical and intermediate zones, known as the Mediterranean type, is found in areas bordering the Mediterranean Sea and on the west coasts of continents. It is characterized by mild temperatures with moderate winter rainfall under the influence of the moisture-laden prevailing westerlies and dry summers under the influence of the horse latitudes or the trade winds.

The climate of our region is very specific. Particular geographical position at the border of Eurasian continent and the Pacific Ocean grants unique nature and climate to this region-Prymorye is the farthest south-eastern region of Russia, situated in the East of Asia, between 42° and 48° North, 130° and 139° East, washed by waters of the Sea of Japan. Distance from the farthest northern point to the farthest southern point is about 900 km. The territory is about 1,659,000 sq km. The most part of the territory is occupied by the Sikhote-Alin mountains, covered with virgin taiga. This is a great natural arboretum, which contains one the richest and most unusual temperate forests of the world. In this mixed zone between taiga and subtropics southern species such as Amur tiger and Himalayan bear cohabit with northern species such as brown bear and lynx. The sea coast attracts with beautiful exotic sceneries of bays and uninhabited isles,, very reach of underwater life.

Monsoon climate is the evident characteristic of our region. Winters are short but frosty. Summers are cloudy, rains and cyclones are usual. Summer's maritime winds bring sudden storms that swell the rivers and streams. Winter temperatures are moderate and there is relatively little snow, but cold winds from the North often fill the air with icy chill. The most beautiful time of year is 'Golden Autumn', which begins in August and stretches into late October. Rain is rare, and the sea is warm at this time of year, when the beaches are swept by mild Asian breezes. Annual precipitation falling mainly in summer, especially during typhoons, is about 600-900 mm. Due to a cold current along the coastline, thick fogs are usually quite long. Vegetation period lasts from 120-130 days in the North to 160-200 days in the South.

The British often say: "Other countries have a climate; in England we have weather". The weather in GB is very changeable. The climate in GB is mild and temperate due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. The best time of the year in Britain is spring. January and February are cold and damp. It tends to rain a lot even in summer. The wind can make it quite cold. The most unpleasant aspect of British weather is fog and smog.

The weather is a favorite conversational topic in England. Forecasts are disseminated by television, radio, telephone, newspapers, and the Internet. Detailed forecasts can usually be made only for a short future period (generally 48 hr or less). Forecasts for up to five days can usually predict departures from normal temperature and precipitation fairly well; longer-range predictions are more general and less accurate, being based on the known normal weather of the area. Mathematical models, particularly those run on supercomputers, have helped to understand weather changes, including general global circulation patterns, and how perturbations in the atmosphere and oceans effect the weather.

12.Clothes and Person’s Appearance

Fashion begins in the international world of haute couture (= high fashion), led by top fashion designers and fashion houses. There is great public interest in fashion shows, when the latest styles are worn on the catwalk by highly-paid supermodels, even though few ordinary people expect to wear such clothes. Fashion magazines such as Vogue and television programmes such as The Clothes Show show the latest styles.

        Only a few people can afford to buy designer label clothing even though here are now more young designers and less expensive labels. The most popular designers include Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren and Yves Saint-Laurent. Famous British designers include John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood.

        Design ideas from fashion shows are quickly copied at more affordable prices. New ranges of clothing reach shops in time for each new season. As well as department stores and fashion stores, people buy clothes in markets and from mail-order catalogues. Many people, men as well as women, spend a lot of time shopping for clothes.

        High-street fashion is aimed mainly at young women because they are most fashion-conscious. New colours, designs and fabrics create the latest look or style. Recently, shiny fabrics and clingy, Lycra-based materials in black, grey and dark red have been used for strappy party dresses and close-fitting tops. Black is a fashion colour, and many young women wear black most of the time. Long plain black dresses are especially popular.

        Hemlines  vary from year to year. Skirts below the knee were fashionable in the 1990s, though miniskirts, popular in the 1960s, also reappeared. Smart shoes have high heels and wedges, but many people wear more practical shoes such as trainers or Doc Marten's if they have to walk far.